Pothole Information

Let’s Talk About Potholes

Spring is the time in our City when potholes can rear their irritating heads. They no doubt create driving challenges, and are generally an irritant and an eyesore. We want to share what we know about these vexatious potholes and how we address them.

What You Need to Know About Potholes

Potholes can occur in a number of ways at this time of year - all of them have to do with melt water during the spring thaw and cracks in the road surface.

Water seeps through cracks in the road surface and softens the sub-base under the pavement (this weakens the sub-base; it can no longer support the pavement above it or the traffic loads placed on it).

Thaw water seeps into cracks in the pavement or sub-base. Temperatures drop and water freezes. (This is the main cause of potholes in our climate). We refer to this a freeze/thaw cycles. These freeze/thaw cycles occur repeatedly during the spring season and, in the last few years, over the winter season as well. The freezing causes the sub-base to expand, which can cause localized pavement failure (a pothole).

Water in surface cracks, or in between concrete and bituminous (asphalt) overlays can freeze causing pieces of pavement to "pop" out.

Winter Potholes

Winter potholes present a particular issue for transportation crews as the fix can only be temporary during this season. We use a Cold-Mix Patch, an asphalt product designed to remain workable during cold weather. The cold-mix patch is largely considered a temporary repair; due to the weather in our colder months, this application cannot achieve a good bond between pavement and patch. Water can still find its way under the patch, which may create the same cycle of pothole development. More permanent repair materials are able to be used during the summer months.

Report Pesky Potholes

Call the Citizen Contact Center at 780-538-0300 and our team will work with you to create a call to action

Know the location; even the side of the road is helpful to know

The size of the pothole is important. Potholes described to customer service representatives as very large, deep or threatening to traffic are sent for immediate attention.

Target response time is approximately 24 hours from the time a pothole is reported. Pothole reports are entered into a ticketing system and placed on a pothole list distributed to crews for repair.

Prioritizing Potholes

Did you know that potholes are prioritized based on the category of street?